Sam Wildman

A Kettering man downloaded thousands of sick images of abuse involving children as young as six weeks old.

Daniel Canning, 22, was caught after police intelligence led them to his boyfriend’s address when an indecent image was uploaded to the internet.

Canning’s boyfriend was arrested on October 4 last year but the following day he handed himself in to the police.

Prosecuting, Caroline Bradley said: “On October 5 Mr Canning himself attended the police station and said that he had viewed a couple of images.

“He said he had been viewing them since the age of 11 and that he was using chatrooms.”

Police searched his devices and found 866 images of the most disturbing category, category A, of which the majority were videos.

They also found 603 images in category B and 636 category C images, making a total of 2,105.

Miss Bradley added that one of the images showed a serious sexual assault on a six-week-old baby.

Canning was also found to have distributed 62 of the images online using software over the ‘dark web’, 51 of which were in category A.

Miss Bradley told Northampton Crown Court on Firday (June 30): “He accepts that he used the ‘dark web’ and looked for boys aged between 10 to 16 but he downloaded in bulk, which means there could be others.

“He said he did not recall sharing images but said he could have done in the chatroom.”

The offences took place between 2014 and 2016 and when he was arrested Canning lost his job as a printer’s apprentice.

He admitted three counts of possessing indecent images, three counts of distributing images, one count of possessing prohibited images and one count of possessing extreme pornography involving animals at a court hearing in May.

Mitigating, James Smith-Wilds said Canning was a ‘decent young man’ aside from his crimes.

He said: “Clearly this was a revolting set of images, moving or otherwise.

“In every other facet of his life he is a decent young man.

“I think it is fair to say that he did not fully comprehend the length of his actions.

“Daniel is concerned if he was to receive a prison sentence not only because he is unsure how he would cope, but how it would impact on his family.”

His Honour Judge Timothy Smith said Canning’s actions were no accident and sent him to prison.

He said: “The nature of these images is quite frankly appalling.

“You became involved in the dark recesses of the ‘dark web’.

“You were looking for, finding and downloading the vilest of material.

“It was ill-considered but it was not accidental.

“It was deliberate.”

Canning, of Sackville Street, was sentenced to two years in prison.

He will serve half in custody with the remainder on licence.

He will also be made to sign the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years and made the subject of a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.